a journal of discovery, conviction, and walking with the poor and orphaned of Rwanda

Monday, September 13, 2010

When helping hurts*

... but not really.

(Why is the pregnant woman with a baby on her back carrying the bigger, heavier jerrycan?)

*BTW: "When Helping Hurts" is a reference to a must read for all community development workers who commonly cause harm by the unintended consequences of their well-intentioned efforts. I am chief among offenders, but there is hope. We are learning, and are determined not to make any mistake more than two or three times. Attempting to discern the profound complexities of “helping” makes development work extremely challenging and gratifying.

Followers

Link to Bridge2Rwanda

Not About Me

I am reluctant to do the Bio thing. Nothing "about me" should be the focus here, except as this open journal may resonate with (or provoke) your own thoughts. But I offer this much: After 30 years as an attorney, I am now a typical Halftimer who is determined to move beyond success to significance. Inspired and convicted by three sons (Tommy, Nathan & Wesley) who live passionate and adventurous lives, I am now privileged to participate in the exciting social changes and development occurring in Rwanda and elsewhere in Africa, hoping to empower the desperately poor. But I must be very clear on this: I am just your average coward. Suffering and sacrifice are very foreign concepts to me. However, I now believe that life comfortably ensconced in a safe cocoon misses out on too much of what might be learned, experienced, and shared with others in the Majority World, many of whom are crying out in desperate need, and some of whom beam with smiles and contentment such as I have seldom seen. I want to know them and their lives.